Wonder if Martha knows she will no longer have a driver to the casino anymore.

T'was the Month Before Christmas 

 

T'was the month before Christmas

When all through our land,

I just found this in the det news, perhaps some of you had seen it but I had not and thought it was  funny (underlined portions done by me)

 

Art imitates life: Kilpatrick friend plays mayor in film

Charlie LeDuff / The Detroit News

Detroit -- Available soon in a car trunk near you: Kwame Kilpatrick, the movie.

"Scandal in the City" is a feature-length movie chronicling the low life and hard times of fictitious Mayor Calvin Kennedy, a charismatic politician who is consumed and ultimately destroyed by his ambitions and sexual appetites.

Ripped directly from the Detroit headlines, "Scandal" has an underground quality to it. The lighting gives the picture an odd, erotic patina; something akin to the color emitted by a peep-booth light bulb. What is more, the movie is chockablock with sexual situations, the murder of a stripper named Candy, a catfight between the mayor's wife and his political aide (a childhood sweetheart), a motel rendezvous, bribery, perjury, scotch and even the mayor's political mother introducing her son at a political rally as "Y'all's boy!"

Sound familiar?

What makes the picture most intriguing is that the role of Kennedy is played by the Rev. Malik Shabazz -- the real-life, protest holding, white-liquor-sipping, self-described thug-turned-preacher of the dope houses and back alleys who was -- and maintains that he still is -- the friend, confidant and defender of Kilpatrick, whose career burned down last year in a pyre of sex, lies and text messages.

For the record, Shabazz, 46, would also like it to be known that he is also the host of a cable television show called "Tuesday Thursday Truth."

"I stood with Mayor Kilpatrick when others wouldn't," Shabazz said of the former mayor. "He had a mighty fall, and I was right there with him, at his side, when few were."

Shabazz held court the other afternoon in his clubhouse on Fenkell Street on the west side of the city. A vacant lot across the street, a liquor store to the west. The marquee to his clubhouse reads The Scene. The place was decorated with Kilpatrick campaign placards, a poster of Malcolm X and a rendering of the Last Supper in which Christ and the disciples are black.

An itinerant preacher, Shabazz says he converted from hooliganism to the path of righteousness when he heard the Word at The Shrine of the Black Madonna of the Pan-African Orthodox Christian Church, which was founded in Detroit and remains an important faction in the national black power movement.

Sensitive to the fact that Kilpatrick might feel betrayed should he come across the film at a gas station check-out counter between the Slim Jims and Mike & Ike candy treats, Shabazz sent this message to Kilpatrick, now a highly compensated medical equipment salesman based in Dallas:

"Mayor Kilpatrick, you know how I feel about you and more than that I showed it. When others ran and put their tail up between their legs and punked-out and copped out and sold out, I was with you to the very end at a great cost to myself and my rep. I have no regrets and I have no regrets playing Mayor Calvin Kennedy."

Shabazz even defended the atrocious behavior of Kilpatrick, who left Detroit penniless and besieged by criminals. "Human greatness and human frailties," Shabazz said. "All men fall. Every man has weaknesses. It's the getting up where a man is measured."

Court date today

True as that may be, not all men fail so spectacularly that their imbroglios warrant a Movie of the Week, which is what we have here with "Scandal in the City."

Kilpatrick, who is scheduled to appear in a Detroit courtroom today to answer accusations by the county prosecutor that he has thumbed his nose at restitution payment to the city, could not be reached for comment.

His lawyer, Jim Thomas, said this about the film: "I haven't seen it yet, but I imagine it's great fiction."

Produced by Skyline Productions -- a local production company recently founded by Willie El, C.J. Williamson and DOT, who also co-wrote the script -- "Scandal" was filmed for a mere $50,000 entirely on location in Detroit. The producers, knowing Shabazz from around the way, asked the minister to read for the part.

"He has a presence and that James Earl Jones power about his speech, but I didn't know he could act," said Williamson.

"We were definitely impressed," added El. "He took the character to a level beyond our expectations."

Plan under wraps

The producers say the film, which took four months to shoot, will be ready for its world premiere sometime in November. While they made the trailers available, the producers would not reveal how the film resolves itself, how they plan to distribute the DVD or where the premiere will be held.

Having never acted in so much as a school play, Shabazz said he could draw on characters he has witnessed in the Detroit pulpits for inspiration.

"Most ministers in this town are acting or pimping," he said. "Look around at the misery here. Obviously 99.99 percent of the preachers are shucking and jiving and acting and pimping."

The big talking minister, who tips the scales at 340 pounds, said it was not as easy as one might think to portray an extra-large black man with an extra-large personality even if you are an extra-large black man with an extra-large personality.

"I'll let you in on a little secret," Shabazz said sheepishly. "I had a lot of difficulty with the love scenes. But I came through."

****************************************************************

 

OMG 99.99% of the preachers are shucking and jiving

I honestly thought as I was reading this it was just a fictitious editorial.  But I think this is real.

The detroityes forum had this photo posted by Ray1936 and it really is quite amazing

http://www.shorpy.com/node/7136?size=_original

also many of the comments are interesting

just amazed:

I just found this in the det news, perhaps some of you had seen it but I had not and thought it was  funny (underlined portions done by me)

 

Last Updated: October 29. 2009 12:57PM

Art imitates life: Kilpatrick friend plays mayor in film

Charlie LeDuff / The Detroit News

Detroit -- Available soon in a car trunk near you: Kwame Kilpatrick, the movie.

"Scandal in the City" is a feature-length movie chronicling the low life and hard times of fictitious Mayor Calvin Kennedy, a charismatic politician who is consumed and ultimately destroyed by his ambitions and sexual appetites.

Ripped directly from the Detroit headlines, "Scandal" has an underground quality to it. The lighting gives the picture an odd, erotic patina; something akin to the color emitted by a peep-booth light bulb. What is more, the movie is chockablock with sexual situations, the murder of a stripper named Candy, a catfight between the mayor's wife and his political aide (a childhood sweetheart), a motel rendezvous, bribery, perjury, scotch and even the mayor's political mother introducing her son at a political rally as "Y'all's boy!"

Sound familiar?

What makes the picture most intriguing is that the role of Kennedy is played by the Rev. Malik Shabazz -- the real-life, protest holding, white-liquor-sipping, self-described thug-turned-preacher of the dope houses and back alleys who was -- and maintains that he still is -- the friend, confidant and defender of Kilpatrick, whose career burned down last year in a pyre of sex, lies and text messages.

For the record, Shabazz, 46, would also like it to be known that he is also the host of a cable television show called "Tuesday Thursday Truth."

"I stood with Mayor Kilpatrick when others wouldn't," Shabazz said of the former mayor. "He had a mighty fall, and I was right there with him, at his side, when few were."

Shabazz held court the other afternoon in his clubhouse on Fenkell Street on the west side of the city. A vacant lot across the street, a liquor store to the west. The marquee to his clubhouse reads The Scene. The place was decorated with Kilpatrick campaign placards, a poster of Malcolm X and a rendering of the Last Supper in which Christ and the disciples are black.

An itinerant preacher, Shabazz says he converted from hooliganism to the path of righteousness when he heard the Word at The Shrine of the Black Madonna of the Pan-African Orthodox Christian Church, which was founded in Detroit and remains an important faction in the national black power movement.

Sensitive to the fact that Kilpatrick might feel betrayed should he come across the film at a gas station check-out counter between the Slim Jims and Mike & Ike candy treats, Shabazz sent this message to Kilpatrick, now a highly compensated medical equipment salesman based in Dallas:

"Mayor Kilpatrick, you know how I feel about you and more than that I showed it. When others ran and put their tail up between their legs and punked-out and copped out and sold out, I was with you to the very end at a great cost to myself and my rep. I have no regrets and I have no regrets playing Mayor Calvin Kennedy."

Shabazz even defended the atrocious behavior of Kilpatrick, who left Detroit penniless and besieged by criminals. "Human greatness and human frailties," Shabazz said. "All men fall. Every man has weaknesses. It's the getting up where a man is measured."

Court date today

True as that may be, not all men fail so spectacularly that their imbroglios warrant a Movie of the Week, which is what we have here with "Scandal in the City."

Kilpatrick, who is scheduled to appear in a Detroit courtroom today to answer accusations by the county prosecutor that he has thumbed his nose at restitution payment to the city, could not be reached for comment.

His lawyer, Jim Thomas, said this about the film: "I haven't seen it yet, but I imagine it's great fiction."

Produced by Skyline Productions -- a local production company recently founded by Willie El, C.J. Williamson and DOT, who also co-wrote the script -- "Scandal" was filmed for a mere $50,000 entirely on location in Detroit. The producers, knowing Shabazz from around the way, asked the minister to read for the part.

"He has a presence and that James Earl Jones power about his speech, but I didn't know he could act," said Williamson.

"We were definitely impressed," added El. "He took the character to a level beyond our expectations."

Plan under wraps

The producers say the film, which took four months to shoot, will be ready for its world premiere sometime in November. While they made the trailers available, the producers would not reveal how the film resolves itself, how they plan to distribute the DVD or where the premiere will be held.

Having never acted in so much as a school play, Shabazz said he could draw on characters he has witnessed in the Detroit pulpits for inspiration.

"Most ministers in this town are acting or pimping," he said. "Look around at the misery here. Obviously 99.99 percent of the preachers are shucking and jiving and acting and pimping."

The big talking minister, who tips the scales at 340 pounds, said it was not as easy as one might think to portray an extra-large black man with an extra-large personality even if you are an extra-large black man with an extra-large personality.

"I'll let you in on a little secret," Shabazz said sheepishly. "I had a lot of difficulty with the love scenes. But I came through."

****************************************************************

 

OMG 99.99% of the preachers are shucking and jiving

I honestly thought as I was reading this it was just a fictitious editorial.  But I think this is real.

Detroit has many "million dollar ministers". It is a great gig if you can con folks into following you. A few years back one of the local newspapers did a story on what these jackoffs owned and what they were paid. Many had yearly salaries in excess of a million dollars plus they had fancy cars and huge boats and cement ponds in their backyards. Most of the tv and news stations just ignore this idiocy. Apparently they are afraid of offending the congregations. It's a joke. I got talked into attending a service at one of the detroit mega churches 5 or so years ago. Creflo Dollar was the guest speaker. All I heard for 2 hours was tithe, tithe ,tithe 10% or more. You would think God is sitting in heaven wearing one of those clear green shaded accounting hats and going over the books to make sure everyone has paid 10% of their GROSS income to the church. F that!

Wow. From what I have read about Shabazz, he is perfectly cast as Kwame. He is from the "ignore the facts, blame whitey" school of thought. I do not disagree with his take on the Detroit street corner "ministers".

There is a huge church that has been described in the past as being a cross between baptist and catholic located out in Sterling Heights, right next to Freedom Hill.  A few years back I read that upon joining you had to show them your tax returns.  There was another church I was familiar with via a friend, a very small church in Warren, that put up on the bulletin board what each member had promised to give for the coming year.  Does this kind of thing happen in the churches in Detroit headed up by the ministers referred to in the article?  I remember my grandmother telling me about her church in another state, many many years ago, that would pit members against each other when a special need came about. That the need would be "advertised" right during the service and it sounded like an auction with members jumping up saying how much they would pledge, trying to outdo the others.

Reminds me of the saying,

Going to church no more makes you a Christian than standing in the garage makes you a car.

 

---

Get Real

Kilpatrick hearing rescheduled for earlier time

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OOOhhhh big deal a couple hours earlier...it should have never been delayed.

I don't like that Shabazz guy, he's definitely a KK fan.

FIRST BOOK OF DEMOCRAT
OBAMA IS A SHEPHERD,
I SHALL NOT WANT.

AG denies scuttling the Kilpatrick probe.

Now there is a first, a politician dening something.........wow, what's this world coming too?  : )

---

Get Real

punky1:

There is a huge church that has been described in the past as being a cross between baptist and catholic located out in Sterling Heights, right next to Freedom Hill.  A few years back I read that upon joining you had to show them your tax returns.  There was another church I was familiar with via a friend, a very small church in Warren, that put up on the bulletin board what each member had promised to give for the coming year.  Does this kind of thing happen in the churches in Detroit headed up by the ministers referred to in the article?  I remember my grandmother telling me about her church in another state, many many years ago, that would pit members against each other when a special need came about. That the need would be "advertised" right during the service and it sounded like an auction with members jumping up saying how much they would pledge, trying to outdo the others.

This is going back about 5 or 10 years but I used to know a lady that attended a mega church. Can't recall the name of the church but they used to be located at 6 mile and Schafer or Wyoming. The pastor decided he needed a larger place to hold his services. He wanted to buy land on 7 mile road a little east of Telegraph road. He told his congregation that they each needed to tithe him 2 weeks GROSS pay immediatly. I guess when God finds a piece of land at a decent price He wants folks to act. This woman was in tears cause she didn't know how she was going to give up two weeks gross pay and still pay her bills. The pastor needed the money ASAP. He must have gotten most or all the congregation to give up this cash cause he now has a mega church on 7 mile road. This church has spires reaching about one hundred feet in the air. As a former construction bidder I can't even imagine how much he paid the carpenters and Dryvit guys just for the spires alone, not to mention the rest of the church. Unbelievable.

Husband Store A store that sells new husbands has opened in New York City , where a woman may go to choose a husband. Among the instructions at the entrance is a description of how the store operates:   You may visit this store ONLY ONCE! There are six floors and the value of the products increase as the shopper ascends the flights. The shopper may choose any item from a particular floor, or may choose to go up to the next floor, but you cannot go back down except to exit the building!   So, a woman goes to the Husband Store to find a husband. On the first floor the sign on the door reads:   Floor 1 - These men have jobs…. She is intrigued, but continues to the second floor, where the sign reads: Floor 2 - These men have jobs and love kids. 'That's nice,' she thinks, 'but I want more.' So she continues upward. The third floor sign reads: Floor 3 - These men have jobs, love kids, and are extremely good looking. 'Wow,' she thinks, but feels compelled to keep going. She goes to the fourth floor and the sign reads: Floor 4 - These men have jobs, love kids, are drop-dead good looking and help with housework. 'Oh, mercy me!' she exclaims, 'I can hardly stand it!' Still, she goes to the fifth floor and the sign reads: Floor 5 - These men have jobs, love kids, are drop-dead gorgeous, help with housework, and have a strong romantic streak. She is so tempted to stay, but she goes to the sixth floor, where the sign reads: Floor 6 - You are visitor 31,456,012 to this floor. There are no men on this floor. This floor exists solely as proof that women are impossible to please. Thank you for shopping at the Husband Store.     PLEASE NOTE: To avoid gender bias charges, the store's owner opened a new Wife Store just across the street. The First Floor has wives that love sex. The Second Floor has wives that love sex, have money and like beer.  The Third, Fourth, Fifth and Sixth Floors have never been visited.

 

taxpayer:

punky1:

There is a huge church that has been described in the past as being a cross between baptist and catholic located out in Sterling Heights, right next to Freedom Hill.  A few years back I read that upon joining you had to show them your tax returns.  There was another church I was familiar with via a friend, a very small church in Warren, that put up on the bulletin board what each member had promised to give for the coming year.  Does this kind of thing happen in the churches in Detroit headed up by the ministers referred to in the article?  I remember my grandmother telling me about her church in another state, many many years ago, that would pit members against each other when a special need came about. That the need would be "advertised" right during the service and it sounded like an auction with members jumping up saying how much they would pledge, trying to outdo the others.

This is going back about 5 or 10 years but I used to know a lady that attended a mega church. Can't recall the name of the church but they used to be located at 6 mile and Schafer or Wyoming. The pastor decided he needed a larger place to hold his services. He wanted to buy land on 7 mile road a little east of Telegraph road. He told his congregation that they each needed to tithe him 2 weeks GROSS pay immediatly. I guess when God finds a piece of land at a decent price He wants folks to act. This woman was in tears cause she didn't know how she was going to give up two weeks gross pay and still pay her bills. The pastor needed the money ASAP. He must have gotten most or all the congregation to give up this cash cause he now has a mega church on 7 mile road. This church has spires reaching about one hundred feet in the air. As a former construction bidder I can't even imagine how much he paid the carpenters and Dryvit guys just for the spires alone, not to mention the rest of the church. Unbelievable.

Another church story. Back in the 1950s my grandparents used to drive a very elderly lady to church every Sunday. The lady was very poor, had to use the oven to provide heat frequently, a very proud lady.  My grandparents got wind that the minister had corraled the lady and tried to get her to tithe $0.50 a week.  She could not afford this.  The minister not only did not get his $0.50, he lost my grandparents and a few others.  Another story.  I attended a large church as a child, had about 1,500 members with two ministers.  The story goes that the lead minister got jealous of the younger minister because parents were going to him for weddings and baptisms etc., so he had him transferred to another church.  The Sunday following the move found over half the members absent from the service and most of them never returned.